India vs. Sri Lanka, a Brotherly Battle

Fans held Indian national flag during the match between Indian and Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 at Edgbaston cricket ground, Birmingham, June 15.

India and Sri Lanka, familiar foes on the cricket pitch, Thursday play for a place in Sunday’s Champions Trophy final.

In 50-over cricket, the two countries have met 10 times since February last year. That’s a lot. Like backyard cricket between a pair of brothers, the encounters are regular, grudgingly respectful and fiercely competitive. Losses happen, but the frustration stings.

India is the big brother in this relationship. It has also won seven of the last 10 encounters between the two countries. Sri Lanka has won two, and there was one tie.

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Provided the rain doesn’t intervene, Thursday’s match in the Welsh capital Cardiff gives Sri Lanka a chance to redress this imbalance and also avenge an earlier loss, one that stung the most: the 2011 World Cup final in Mumbai.

The Champions Trophy is a condensed version of the World Cup, involving only the top eight international teams in an event that lasts just three weeks.

In the overcrowded cricket calendar, it’s easy to question whether or not certain games or tournaments matter. There are too many meaningless matches tagged on to international tours. Even in Wednesday’s semi-final, South African players like Robin Peterson seemed in high spirits despite being on the verge of losing to England and exiting the tournament.

But there are few tangible prizes in international cricket. There are World Cups in ODI and Twenty20 cricket, but beyond that, there’s nothing much in terms of events that involve all of the top cricket nations. There are historic Test series like the Ashes between Australia and England, but these are bilateral.

The Champions Trophy is worth fighting for, particularly since it will cease to exist after this tournament, potentially making way for a new Test cricket championship. Sri Lanka and India have played each other a lot, but this is the biggest match between the two since the World Cup final in 2012.

So who will win?

The teams know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. At the moment, particularly on India’s side, there are many strengths and few weaknesses. India is the only unbeaten team in this year’s tournament, cruising through the group stage with three wins from three.

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Shikar Dhawan celebrated his century against the West Indies in London, June 11.

The opening batting pairing of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma has so far proved a masterstroke, with Dhawan in particular excelling with consecutive centuries in the first two matches of the tournament.

Sharma, with 135 runs in three innings, has gone some way to silencing those frustrated by his inconsistency at the top level. Thursday’s match, however, presents a new test of his nerve under pressure. This is a big game for the 26-year-old, who has played Sri Lanka twice as many times as he has any other country.

With Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, M.S. Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, India has tremendous batting depth. Just looking at that lineup, it’s hard to picture any other team winning this tournament.

Sri Lanka, however, has some of cricket’s wiliest operators in Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan. These three are as familiar as can be with Indian cricket, playing alongside many of their semi-final opponents in the Indian Premier League.

They are in good form, too. Sangakkara’s 134 not out destroyed England in the group stage, while Jayawardene – who handed over the captaincy to Angelo Mathews in February – secured Sri Lanka’s passage through to the semi-final with his 84 not out against Australia. With 54 runs from three innings, Dilshan is due a big score.

Sri Lanka is also blessed on the bowling front, with Lasith Malinga back doing what he does best: destroying batsmen’s toes and wickets. He has taken seven wickets so far, the fifth highest total in the tournament. India’s Ravindra Jadeja is in third spot with nine wickets, but he doesn’t pose quite as potent a threat as Malinga.

The Indian batsmen are familiar with Malinga though, particularly Sharma who captained the Sri Lankan with the Mumbai Indians in this year’s IPL.

India has enough quality to win this match and goes into the game as favorite. But Sri Lanka, like any younger sibling, will be gunning for an upset.

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